THE MARSHMALLOW CHALLENGE

Are you an agile team player?

@ Altran Belux – 14/11/2013

MARSHMALLOW?

WHAT IS THIS ABOUT?

• You will play a fun and instructive game. This is no boring presentation!

• Conducted by thousands of people in the world, at all levels

• The objective is to make surprising lessons emerge

AGENDA

• Rules (10’)• The game (18’)• Results (5’)• Review

THE KIT

THE RULES

• Team up to 4, mixes are great! • Build the tallest freestanding structure• The entire marshmallow must be on

top• Use as much or as little of the kit• Break up the spaghetti, string or tape• You have 18 minutes, good luck!

e.ggtimer.com/18minutes

LET’S PLAY!

THE RULES

• Team up to 4, mixes are great! • Build the tallest freestanding structure• The entire marshmallow must be on

top• Use as much or as little of the kit• Break up the spaghetti, string or tape• You have 18 minutes, good luck!

e.ggtimer.com/18minutes

TIME OUT!

RESULTS

• Who won the game?• Which structures stood?• Which ones fell?

Feel free to take a shot of your work!

LESSONS LEARNED

• What could we have done better?• What did we succeeded in?

LESSONS LEARNED

• How agile was this game?

• Kids do better than business students

• Prototyping matters• The marshallow is a metaphor of

hidden assumptions of a project

REVIEW AND RETROSPECTIVEQuestions and suggestions are welcome!

THANKS FOR YOUR PARTICIPATION!Any marshmallow left?

Find and download this presentation onour Agile Sharepoint site

Let’s continue the discussion!

romain.trocherie@gmail.com

REFERENCES• Marshmallow Challenge:

marshmallowchallenge.com

• TED Talk: bit.ly/9Rs8wm

• More agile games: www.tastycupcakes.org

• Remaining marshmallows?bit.ly/i40vWS